Practicing Gratitude
Every Day for All the Things
We have reached the season of Thanksgiving in the US which is a great time to talk about practicing gratitude all year long. I know most of us are looking forward to the great food that we traditionally stuff ourselves with on the fourth Thursday of November. Many are anticipating happy times with family around the holiday table, while others are mentally preparing ourselves for this year’s steaming side dish of family drama which often includes ingredients of guilt, judgment, rejection, and even abuse. Every family has their own secret recipes, right? My stomach is growling in anticipation as I write this! But let’s talk about gratitude.
We humans have a negativity bias. It’s easier for us to focus on what is bad or negative in our lives than to focus on the good, positive things. However it’s actually beneficial to our mental and emotional well being to practice gratitude. Research has shown that practicing gratitude will decrease stress, anxiety and depression. Gratitude is also a protective factor or “something that decreases the chances of a person being adversely affected by a circumstance or disorder.” from Mental Health First Aid So an attitude of gratitude can help us survive and even thrive in the midst of trauma or while battling an illness or an addiction.
We can practice gratitude around the holiday table with people we love and we can practice it every day when we are going through our daily routine. We can practice gratitude by thinking of what we’re thankful for and writing these thoughts down or saying them aloud to help us stay positive during difficult times.
Another way to practice gratitude is to celebrate small victories and accomplishments as they happen. Some days just getting out of bed and showing up to work or school on time is a true accomplishment. Successfully completing a project, to-do list, or busy schedule of appointments can also be a major accomplishment. Let’s acknowledge and celebrate these things rather than focusing on what didn’t get done or what we could have done better.
We can also express gratitude for some of the things that may seem negative or difficult, because of what those experiences can teach us or how they cause us to grow and improve ourselves. 2019 was probably the worst year of my life, and I don’t know if I’m ready to say I am grateful for 2019. However, I can acknowledge that I have grown and changed into a happier, healthier version of myself in the subsequent years, and I am proud of the resilient, empathetic woman that rose out of the ashes of 2019. Through my grief over losing my dad, I learned to be thankful for the love my dad and I had for each other. I focused on his good qualities that I remember and try to emulate. After losing my footing in a new harsh reality of a world without my father, I found a freedom in forging a new path without fear of his judgment or criticism. Maybe you have a similar experience of growing through pain. Please share as you feel comfortable in the comments below.
My husband Tracy wrote a beautiful song as he reflected back on his life with gratitude. This song reflects some of the things he has learned along the way. Please listen to The Ramble and the Bend as inspiration for your gratitude journey. Let’s practice being thankful for the good and bad parts of our past and present lives that have made us who we are today.
